


Job offer

by bigk4062



Series: Job offer universe [1]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), F/M, Gen, Kaiba likes to show off he's rich, M/M, Multi, after graduation, job offer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-10
Updated: 2018-06-18
Packaged: 2019-03-29 11:52:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13926588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bigk4062/pseuds/bigk4062
Summary: Kaiba makes a job offer he hopes the blond won't refuse.





	1. The Offer

“So what is it you wanted to meet me for anyway Kaiba?”  
Joey asked, stirring his tea absentmindedly. It had been six years since their high school graduation, and the two duelists had only seen each other sporadically ever since. Kaiba had thrown himself into work, and Joey had managed to make it into college to become a chef.  
“You act surprised Wheeler. You're still one of the top ranked duelist in the world, and you don't think I could use you in some of my business dealings? Even wanna-be's have a fan base.”  
Kaiba took a sip of his own tea, watching Joey carefully. The blond snorted, rolling his eyes.  
“You have some nerve talking about my dueling skills Kaiba. I'll have you know I still get invites to Pegasus's tournaments, and I make it into the semi-finals without even having to do anything.”  
Joey glared at the taller brunet, taking in the slightly older man's appearance. The faint lines around his eyes, the tired look on his face, all signs that Kaiba was pushing himself way to hard.  
“Your brother told me you don't come home anymore. He says he misses you.”  
“Mokuba does just fine by himself, he's in college now. He doesn't need me anymore.”  
Kaiba informed him stiffly, nodding at the waitress as she put dinner in front of them. Joey couldn't help but drool at the delicious smells coming from his plate. Even though he was a chef, he could still appreciate other's culinary adventures, which often gave him inspiration for a new meal.  
He dug in, smiling and humming to himself as he ate. Kaiba watched him silently, sighing to himself. He pulled an envelope out of his coat and laid it on the table, pushing it casually towards the blond.  
“Here is my proposal. Yugi is already working on our newest Duel Disk System. I'm looking for someone to be a test subject, someone who Yugi can take criticism from and who can take it from him. I want someone who can be part of the face of Duel Monsters, someone who can appeal to the average man on the street.”  
Joey traced the outline of the envelope, contemplating Kaiba's proposal.  
“I'm not really interested in your new system Kaiba. All it does it take away money that I could be using to buy new cards, which is the whole point of playing the game. Plus, I'm not good with technology. I'm a chef, I create food not machines.”  
Kaiba nodded, pulling out a note pad to write something down.  
“So what would you suggest then? Kaiba Corp hasn't come out with a new system in four years... our stocks are down, we need something to get people interested in dueling again or we might tank.”  
Joey shrugged, leaning back in his chair.  
“The whole game has gotten too expensive, with not enough pay off for casual duelists. Maybe you need to think about finding a new niche to go in. Something different that will light a spark under people's butts and get them excited about the game again.”  
Kaiba hummed to himself, writing something else down before snapping the notebook shut. He stared intensely at Joey, watching as the blond squirmed.  
“I appreciate the job offer Kaiba, but I don't think you and I working together is a great idea. We barely kept from killing each other in High School, and I don't think we are much better equipped to deal with emotions now.”  
Joey said, pushing the envelope back towards the CEO. Kaiba didn't even look at it, just shook his head.  
“You haven't even considered my offer Joey, why don't you look at my proposal and think about it? Take a week, and I'll meet you back here and you can give me your decision.”  
“What's a week going to do Kaiba? I don't want to work with you, and that's final.”  
Kaiba held up a hand, shaking his head.  
“You owe me for all the times I saved your butt mutt, all the times I helped you and your friends get out of whatever jam you were all in. The times you used my money and influence for personal reasons, and the fact that I have to put up with you at every tournament I throw.”  
Joey snatched the envelope, shoving it into his pocket.  
“Fine Kaiba, I'll look over your proposal. If you'll excuse me I have to go throw up now.”  
*************************************

Joey got up and left the table, aware that Kaiba's eyes were on him the whole walk to the bathroom.  
The next day, Joey was woken up by his phone going off insistently. Groaning, he rolled over, knocking the phone off the table as he blindly tried to find it. Finally, he picked it up, blinking as he stared at the bright screen.  
“3 messages from Mokuba? Why is he texted me so early in the morning?”  
He muttered to himself, dropping the phone back on the end table. He groaned, stretching as he rolled over, cuddling with a pillow on the empty side of the bed. He doze off, only to be woken again by that annoying beeping noise.  
“What do you want Mokuba?”  
He growled to himself, reaching for the phone. Yugi's name flashed on the scene, making Joey frown. Messages from Yugi and Mokuba before the sun was even up? What was going on? Tiredly he dialed Yugi's number, figuring it was better than waiting for a message to get back to him.  
“Hey Yug, what's wrong... Well I figured it was something if you were texting me so early... yea, we met last night for dinner, it didn't go too well... some Italian place that cost more for a plate of pasta than I make in a week....”  
Joey's voice trailed off, listening as Yugi chatted away on the other end of the phone. Joey sighed, not really interested in letting his best friend talk him into taking this job.  
“Yea I know Yug' it would be fun to work together but I have too much going on right now... besides I love my job I don't want to quit when I'm so close to getting a promotion.”  
Yugi yammered on for a few more minutes while Joey barely listened.  
“Ok Yug' I'm going back to sleep, I've got to work the late shift tonight... Yes I promise I'll think about the job proposal... I'm off on Monday we can talk about it then... good night.”  
Joey hung up, deciding to ignore Mokuba in favor of getting a few hours of sleep. 

*************************************************************

The weekend passed quickly, and Monday found Joey outside the Game Shop sweeping the sidewalk for Grandpa as the older man stocked shelves. Joey hummed to himself, enjoying the sun on his face. Working the late night shift stunk, but it was necessary to gain the experience he needed to get a better job.  
Unfortunately, it cut into what little free time the gang all had to see each other, but they all did the best they could. Right now though, all Joey wanted was to get his best friend and take off, hit the arcade and get a burger and just forget for a few hours that they were adults with real responsibilities. Finally, Grandpa came out, looking over Joey's work approvingly.  
“Yugi will be out in a minute Joey. I think the two of you should get out of here before I find other work for him too do.”  
Joey cheered at that, thanking the older man profusely. Yugi bounced out of the house a few minutes later, waving at his Grandpa as he hopped on the back of Joey's bike, securing a helmet over his combed out hair.  
The ride was quick, and soon they were at Burger World, still their favorite hang out even after all these years. They grabbed their favorite table and quickly put an order in, relaxing in the booth as the waitress left them. Joey checked his phone, grinning.  
“Mokuba's on his way over, he's just leaving Kaiba Corp.”  
The blond stated, pushing his phone to the corner of the table. Yugi smiled, taking a drink out of the water the waitress had left.  
“So, have you thought anymore about what Kaiba suggested? I think it would be so much fun to work together!”  
Yugi said, bouncing in his booth seat.  
“I already told you that I wasn't interested in the job Yug, lets not ruin our day together talking about this.”  
Joey stated sternly, folding his arms as if to drive his point home.  
“Ok Joey, I won't bring it up again.” “Thank you. Now have you heard from Tea lately?”  
The two friends quickly brought each other up to speed with what they knew about their group of friends, pausing only to greet Mokuba as the younger boy join their table. Once they were done, Joey turned to him, a teasing grin on his face.  
“So Mokuba, any lucky young ladies in the picture yet?”  
Mokuba groaned, burying his face in his hands.  
“I already get interrogated by Seto about my dating life, now I have to hear about it from you two? I swear, I'm not seeing or sleeping with anyone I don't have any time!”  
He said, looking over at the two boys.  
“I'm surprised the girls don't fall all over you, you're such a handsome young man.”  
Yugi chimed in, reaching over to affectionately ruffle the raven hair. Mokuba death glared the two men, who were too busy trying not to laugh to worry. Mokuba sighed, turning his attentions to Joey.  
“Speaking of which, Seto wants you to join him for dinner again on Thursday. That's still your other day off right?”  
“Yea, but I don't know why he wants to do dinner again I already told him how I felt about the job, it's a nice offer but still...”  
Yugi smiled reassuringly.  
“Maybe he thinks you'll find it harder to turn him down if it's face to face.”  
“Yea, because I've never been able to tell Kaiba off too his face before.”  
Joey stated dryly, causing the other two to laugh. The three boys began to tell stories from their miss-spent youth, pausing only to take huge mouthfuls of burgers from the plates their waitress had brought. 

*********************************************

Thursday rolled around, and Joey was standing in front of the mirror checking his outfit. Once Mokuba had left to go back to work, Yugi had suggested that Joey buy some nicer looking clothes for his business dinner with Kaiba. When Joey had protested, Yugi had stood firm.  
“I know you don't want this job, but you should treat it like any interview. Use it as practice when a job comes that you truly do want.”  
Joey had agreed reluctantly, and picked out several new shirts and pants. The red button-down shirt and black slacks fit perfectly, and Joey couldn't help but smiled. Dressing in red and black was his favorite thing to do, an homage to his loyal dragon that still protected him.  
He glanced over at the wall clock, noting that he still had a few minutes before he had to meet with Kaiba. The brunet had offered to send a car, but Joey had insisted that wasn't necessary, wanting an out if the meal became awkward.  
His phone buzzed, and he flipped it open to see a message from Yugi, wishing him luck on his 'interview.' Joey smiled at that, grabbing his keys and walking out the door.  
“You do realize we've seen each other more in the past week than we have in a year right Kaiba?”  
Joey stated dryly, watching as their waiter poured water into their wine goblets. Kaiba had offered something stronger, but Joey didn't drink much because of his father, which Kaiba had accepted.  
“Sometimes sacrifices have to be made for the greater good.”  
Kaiba replied, sipping his water and nodding. Joey took a sip too, blinking in surprise at the taste. “What is this? It doesn't taste like any water I've ever tried before.”  
“That's because it's not. This place imports it's water from Denmark. It's called Iskilde, and it had a very high oxygen content which gives it those bubbles and changes the taste.”  
Joey frowned, tasting the water again experimentally.  
“It's interesting I'll give you that Kaiba.”  
The CEO sat back, nodding to himself. Joey watched him carefully, wondering when the whole point of this dinner would come up. When Kaiba didn't say anything, Joey sighed again. He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out the envelope Kaiba had given him last week, setting it on the table.  
“So when do I formally tell you I don't want this job? Now so we don't have to sit through dinner with each other, or after we are forced to make small talk?”  
Kaiba leaned forward, placing a hand on the envelope.  
“You never even opened this did you?”  
He questioned, focusing his ice blue eyes on Joey's honey brown ones.  
“I'm not interested in the job Kaiba. I didn't want to open this and have you offer me some ridiculous salary that made me second guess my decision.”  
Kaiba snorted at that, still staring at Joey.  
“You should read it, I think you'd find it rather interesting.”  
Joey rolled his eyes, picking up the envelope and opening it. He skimmed over the first few lines before the meaning of what he was reading sunk in. He froze, re-reading over and over again. He looked up at Kaiba, a question in his eyes. Kaiba shook his head slightly, watching as Joey's eyes got bigger and bigger. The letter dropped on the table while Joey kept looking at Kaiba without blinking. “You..... have feelings for me?” 

 

A/N: Iskilde is a real water brand... I was reading an article about water tasting and thought it was interesting. I had plans to make this into a longer story but I decided to leave it where it is for now. Hope you enjoyed!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: When I was writing a chapter for Survivor's Guilt, I wanted to write something that was a little bit fluffier. I started writing something else, then scrapped it when I finally came up with this idea. I can't believe how many people enjoyed this little fic. Special thanks to Addirockart and Lepuria for reviewing, and Lepuria, kailover, Ophelia_Elric, and Kari_Izumi for taking time to Kudos and Ophelia_Elric for bookmarking! Hope you all enjoy this second chapter!!!

 

Yugi settled into a booth, looking out the window. He looked down at his watch, waiting impatiently. A sudden noise startled him, and he looked up to see Mokuba sliding into the other side of his booth, breathing out an apology.   
“It's about time, where have you been.”   
Mokuba grinned, snickering to himself.   
“Seto was a nervous wreck, I was trying to keep him calm. He still thinks I don't know what's going on, he can be so oblivious sometimes.”   
Yugi laughed, imagining Kaiba sweating over a date like a teenage boy.   
“So, when are we allowed to know what's happening over there?”   
Yugi wondered, pointing across the street to the restaurant that Joey and Kaiba would be eating at shortly.   
“Hopefully soon, I can't wait to tease Seto about this.”   
Mokuba answered, looking out the window himself.   
“Hey, there's Seto right there, he's early. Good thing we got here when we did or the whole thing would be ruined.”   
Yugi nodded in agreement, glancing out the window himself.   
“I'm just impressed you managed to get your brother to make reservations at the one nice restaurant in town that's across the street from a coffee house.”   
Mokuba laughed, picking up the menu.   
“Don't worry Yugi, this place is just as exclusive as that restaurant. It's only $15 a cup, and they don't offer free refills.”   
Yugi's eyes got huge, looking over the menu.   
“It's a good thing you have a rich friend huh Yugi.”   
Yugi nodded quickly, wondering quietly if he should just leave.   
“Hey there's Joey!”   
Mokuba shouted, pointing out the window.   
“Good, he's wearing the outfit I picked out for him the other day.”   
Yugi said approvingly, smiling while he watched his friend walk into the building. Mokuba nodded, approving of Joey's clothing choice.   
“Well, since things seem to be going well, how about we order?”   
He suggested, waving over a waitress.   
“Seriously though Yugi, it's on me. Even if things don't work out between Joey and Seto you've been a huge help in all of this.”   
Yugi looked at the menu one more time before nodded, silently calculating in his head how much he felt comfortable spending on the meal. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Joey sat back in his chair, staring unblinking at the CEO in front of him. After Kaiba had failed to answer his initial outburst, Joey had refused to speak, waiting instead for Kaiba to say something. The brunet was ignoring him, currently talking over the menu with the waitress. The young woman disappeared, returning a minute later with a plate of something Joey couldn't identify. Kaiba scooped some onto Joey's plate, pushing it towards Joey before he scooped some for himself.   
“Try some Wheeler, you should take this as a chance to gain some culture.”   
Joey ignored the comment, not wanting to be goated into a fight with the other man. He looked down at the letter again, reading over the words again.   
“Who in the hell confesses to liking someone by offering them a job?”   
He asked, unable to comprehend what was happening.   
“I wouldn't do that, that's considered sexual harassment Wheeler.”   
“Than what do you call this Rich Boy?”   
Joey yelled, waving around the piece of paper like Kaiba had forgotten about it. Kaiba shook his head, reaching into his suit pocket to produce an envelope.   
“Does this look familiar to you? This is the envelope I gave you last week. It does contain a job offer, outlining the specific criteria you and I had talked about. When I knew for certain that you weren't going to take the offer, I switched the envelopes.”   
Joey looked down at the envelope curiously, recognizing the crinkles from when he had shoved it in his pocket.   
“I don't get it? Why would you offer me a job if you wanted to date me?”   
Kaiba sighed, leaning back in the chair.   
“That's not important right now Wheeler. I'm still waiting for your answer to my proposal.”   
“I have an answer. You're crazy.”   
Joey pushed away from the table, tossing the sheet down in the process. Kaiba didn't budge, staring down at his plate as Joey stalked out of the restaurant. He didn't make it far before his phone started ringing, a quick glance showing it was Yugi.   
“Hey Yug what's up... no I just left... yes I turned down the job.... the other offer? You knew what was going on and you didn't tell me... I don't care what he had you sign, I'm your best friend, you don't betray them... where are you?... No I'm not going back in there.... yea, you and what army?... this is ridicilous... Fine, but you owe me big time.”   
Joey hung up the phone with a huff, shaking his head in frustration. Closing his eyes, he took several deep breaths before he turned on his heels and marched back into the restaurant.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Mokuba and Yugi had settled into an easy conversation, catching up on each other's lives. Even though Yugi worked for the company, he very rarely had the chance to talk to either of the Kaiba brother's except for meetings. Yugi was impressed with Mokuba's intelligence, and his ability to empathize with other's emotions, one of the traits that his older brother sorely missed.   
“Hey Yugi, isn't that Joey?”   
Mokuba questioned, pointing out the window. Yugi looked out, then glanced at his watch.   
“It's too early for them to have had dinner, Joey must have bailed. Let me call him and see what's up. I hope they didn't get into a fight.” Yugi picked up his phone, quickly talking to Joey. Mokuba tried not to laugh, shaking his head at Yugi as the shorter man winked at him.   
“Oh I'm sitting across the street, you need to give him a chance Joey... don't make me drag you back in there....That's something you'll have to find out... just hear him out Joey, he certainly tried hard enough... I'm proud of you Joey have fun!”   
Yugi hung up, grinning from ear to ear as Mokuba tried not to choke as he continued to laugh. Yugi dissolved into giggles himself, and both men shared a joyous moment. It ended with a sharp bang, and they both looked over to see Joey at the window, glaring at them.   
Mokuba offered an innocent grin, while Yugi's eyes just got huge. Joey shook his head at the two of them, causing even more laughter. Mokuba quickly tapped something into his phone, smiling at Joey the whole time.   
The blond looked at his own phone, paling at the information on the screen. He scowled at the two boys before marching off, back across the street before entering the restaurant.   
“What did you say to him Mokuba?”   
Yugi wondered, watching as his friend disappeared.   
“Just wanted to let him know that I left some stuff in the limo for them if the date goes well.”   
Yugi blinked, Mokuba's comment sinking in before he shook his head sadly. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kaiba still sat at the table, staring at his entree. When Joey left, he sighed to himself. He should have ran more analysis on the situation before he made his move. He had hoped that Joey would have been so stunned that he would have given Kaiba a chance to explain his position. Instead, he was by himself, staring at a quickly cooling plate.   
“What makes you think I'm gay?”   
Kaiba looked up, surprised that Joey had sat himself down again at the table.   
“I mean, the last time you and I really spent time together I was head over heels in love with Mai. We'd been together for years. She was my first for everything, and I pretty much worshiped the ground she walked on. Why would I switch teams all the sudden?”   
“You man have been in love with Mai, but you've have several boyfriend's since then. I might not see Yugi too often but he doesn't have a problem letting me know what you and the rest of the nerds have been up too.”   
Joey sighed, realizing that his best friend was nothing but a rat.   
“So what, all those years of tormenting me was some kind of foreplay for you? Do you get off name calling people you have feelings for or something?”   
Joey asked, shaking his head at the CEO. Kaiba smiled, leaning over the table.   
“You call it torment, I call it foreplay.”   
Joey blinked, his mind flashing back to the text that Mokuba had sent him.   
“I don't put out on the first date Kaiba.”   
He finally said, once his mind had caught back up to the conversation.   
“Well, we could say this is our second date, since you left and came back.”   
Kaiba suggested, looking over at the blond.   
“Nice try Kaiba, but it's going to take a lot more than a nice meal to convince me to do anything with you.”   
Joey said, folding his arms over his chest. Kaiba nodded, thinking to himself.   
“Well, what can I do to convince you that this is a good idea?”   
He asked, running his hand up Joey's leg under the table, watching for a reaction. Joey ignored it, looking Kaiba over carefully.   
“Can we just have dinner right now and see what happens?”   
Joey asked, and Kaiba nodded, removing his hand and picking up a fork, going back to picking over his now cold meal. Joey did the same, and the two boys ate in silence, stealing quick glances at each other when the other wasn't looking, both trying not to smile.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I still amazes me how many people enjoyed this fic. Since I'm going to make this longer than I originally planned, I'm going to slow things down a little bit. Special thanks to Urgh and Kitty Caesar reviewing, as well as KittyCaesar, Thyrone, Thatantisocial14, mexx, JxL as well as Saligia for taking time to Kudos! I hope I continue to continue all of your support!!!

Yugi woke up and stretched, enjoying the last few seconds before he had to get up for the day. While for many people the weekends were a time to relax, for him it was almost as busy. He would work in the shop for awhile, then go out on various celebrity trips for Kaiba Corp.   
Even though Duel Monsters had spread all over the world, Domino City was still the number one stop for people interested in the game, wanting to visit the various sites that many famous tournaments had taken place at.   
This weekend was another tournament, where Yugi would be signing endless autographs. Of course, if Kaiba wasn't too busy The brunet still hadn't beaten Yugi, which only caused him major angst. Personally, Yugi was hoping that Kaiba's growing interest in Joey would be enough to stop his constant battles with Yugi. If that didn't work, Yugi might just have to refuse to ever play the game again.   
He wandered into the bathroom for a shower, humming and smiling to himself. Dressing quickly, he wandered downstairs, intent on making breakfast for himself before heading out to greet the day.   
To his surprise, Joey was in the kitchen already pulling something out of the oven. Yugi smiled at his best friend, relieved to see him so happy.   
“How did the rest of the night go Joey? I was expecting to hear from you at some point yesterday but you never called.”   
He asked, settling into a seat while he watched Joey plate up his breakfast pizza. Joey shrugged, shaking his head.   
“It ended with me in bed. Alone, as usual.”   
Joey plopped down on his seat, digging into his breakfast.   
“Did you have a nice time at least? Mokuba and I didn't see you guys leave at all.”   
Joey stared at his plate, lost in thought.   
“Well, I'm a little confused right now. I mean, Kaiba has been an idiot as long as we have known him. What made you think that I would be interested in being in a relationship with him?”   
Yugi's eyebrows shot up, almost falling off his seat in surprise.   
“I didn't mean to force you into anything Joey , I just thought that it would be kind of nice to see you happy.”   
Joey snorted at that, stabbing at his breakfast.   
“Well, stop trying to make me so 'happy.' I'm perfectly content with what I have right now, I don't need people trying to ruin my life or decide what I need.”   
Yugi nodded, wide-eyed.   
“I'm sorry Joey, I didn't mean to make you angry. I guess I was so shocked when Mokuba told me how his brother felt, and what he was planning on doing I thought maybe it was kind of nice. It's not often that someone goes through so many hoops to tell someone that they're interested in them after all. I hope you can forgive me.”   
Joey tapped the table, trying to sort through his thoughts.   
“Listen Yug, I don't have feelings for Kaiba. At least not those kind. He's been an ass to me, mocking and rolling his eyes everytime we see each other. What do you think is going to happen if we start to date? He's just looking for a way to keep on tormenting me.”   
Joey stated, looking Yugi in the eyes. Yugi looked down at the counter, a slight blush appearing on his cheeks.   
“I don't know what to say to that Joey. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you? I don't want to fight with you about Kaiba.”   
Joey tapped his chin thoughtfully, looking up at the ceiling. Yugi waited, realizing that his friend did have something planned.   
“I don't know what I want Yugi. I just know it's going to take a lot more than an apology to make up for what happened. You shouldn't play games with people's emotions, and now I have to deal with Kaiba thinking I'm going to be shacking up with him.”   
Yugi bit his lip, not sure of what to say to his friend. The clock on the wall dinged, and Yugi realized that it was time to go. Joey didn't budge, still poking away at his breakfast.   
“Joey, I have to go. Please, call me when you're ready to figure this out, and know how sorry I am that I hurt you.”   
With that Yugi hugged the blond around the waist and got up, grabbing his keys before waving as he ran out the door. Joey watched him go before picking up a plate and bringing it to Yugi's Grandpa, who was busy getting the shop ready for another day.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yugi smiled at yet another duelist who was waiting for his autograph, being told another story about watching him duel on tv. It had only been two hours, but Yugi was ready to go. Maybe it was the fact that Joey was upset with him, but today just kept dragging on.   
Even Kaiba noticed Yugi's slight change in demeanor, wondering what was wrong. Yugi hadn't shared with him the content of his morning discussion with Joey, only giving brief tidbits to Mokuba when the younger boy had stopped by. Both of them were concerned, wondering how they would handle it when Kaiba found out how Joey really felt.   
Yugi kept signing and talking until his lunch, a blissful hour where he could do whatever he wanted. After years of doing these signings, Kaiba had figured out the best way to avoid the confusion and arguing that accompanied many of his previous events.   
Before the event, people would sigh up online or through the Kaiba Corp box office. They would get numbers for the events they choose, such as dueling and one-on-one with different contestants. Numbers would be logged into the Kaiba Corp system, and when theirs was close to being called, a text would go out which they were required to answer. If they didn't, their number was skipped until they responded and then it was put into the line up again.   
It seemed to work, every tournament Yugi went to had less and less arguments about people waiting in line.   
The best part was once it hit Yugi's lunch time, he only had to finish up the line he had then he could leave, the people still on the list notified that they would be up after his break. Yugi finished up with his last customer, shaking the young boys hand as he squealed a goodbye.   
“Hey Yug.” Joey said, appearing in front of the table. “Joey! I thought you couldn't come today! I'm about to go on lunch, would you like to join me?” Yugi asked, standing up with a smile. “Actually Yug, I'm hear about something else. I've been thinking about it, and I'll eventually get over it. After   
all, it's not like you meant to cause trouble, you've just been watching way too many of those American soap opera's Tea likes.”   
Yugi smiled, relieved that Joey wasn't too upset.   
“So, what are you doing here then? Want to help me field some fan-boy questions?”   
Yugi smiled brightly at Joey who shook his head.   
“Actually Yug' I've got a better idea... I want you to duel me at the big tournament today. A real duel, one with your title on the line.”   
Yugi blinked, not sure what he was agreeing too.   
“A duel? I don't want to duel you Joey you're my best friend... besides, we've dueled plenty of times before with the same result. Why would this be any different?”   
“We haven't dueled in the lime light for years Yugi, in fact, we haven't challenged each other since Duelist Kingdom. I know I beat you after Battle City but that was because you and Yami went easy on me. I think it would be a hoot. I've gotten some new cards and tweaked my deck some. You never know, maybe you'll finally be dethroned.”   
Yugi blinked again, trying to push away the little knot that was forming in his chest.   
“I won't go easy on you Joey, if you really want to challenge me, I will play to win.”   
“I'm not asking you to feel sorry for me Yugi. I want a real battle. I want a chance to beat you and rub it in Kaiba's face. I want to prove I'm not pathetic and all the things that he used to call me.”   
“If that's what you really want Joey, I'm not one to back down from a challenge.”   
Yugi grinned, looking over at his friend.   
“But if you want to make it official, we should make an announcement at the tournament... let me ask Mokuba when he can squeeze us in.”   
Yugi picked up his phone, texting Mokuba.   
“Well, Mokuba's going to check the schedule and get back to us. This is going to be fun, I can't wait until we get a chance to duel!”   
Yugi jumped up and walked around the table, and linked his arm around Joey's.   
“How about we get some lunch? It's on Kaiba Corp after all.”   
Joey smiled and agreed, bending his head down to whisper something into his best friend's ear. The two boys settled on their old hangout Burger World, sliding into their favorite booth. Yugi smiled at a group of kids that were pointing at them and giggling, recognizing them as duelists by the disks on their arms.   
After ordering, they both leaned back, giving into the routine of old friends. Suddenly, Yugi's phone went off, followed quickly by Joey's. Yugi picked up his phone, reading the message from his Grandpa in surprise.   
“It looks like our duel is on Joey, Grandpa said that people are already talking about it in the shop, wonder how they found out.”   
Joey silently showed Yugi his own phone, where Tristan had texted him the link to the news story he had found.   
“Guess when you're important news travels fast.”   
Yugi laughed, shaking his head.   
“Mokuba works quick, I'll give him that. He must have called in to the news or something for it to have traveled like this.”   
Joey stared at his phone, reading over the quickly typed article. It was filled with reminders of past tournaments he had lost, times Lady Luck had forsaken him because of a bigger destiny it had in mine. He wondered silently if he was making a mistake, but it was too late to back out now. The two boys finished up their meals, discussing their upcoming battle amid constant dinging of their phones. “Ladies and Gentlemen, the winner and reigning champion of Duel Monsters is... Yugi Moto!!!”   
Yugi waved to the cheering crowd, smiling at everyone for what seemed like forever. Mokuba had scheduled their duel at the end of the tournament, after all the trophies had been distributed. Most of the crowds had stuck around, cheering good-naturally as the two boys faced off.   
The crowd had been behind Joey for the most part, human nature wanting to give the underdog adoration. At the end, it came down to luck, Yugi managing to use Mirror Force to redirect Joey's attack and taking away his last 300 life points to boot.   
Joey's face was covered in sweat, shaking as he was lowered down to the ground. Kaiba may be an ass, but he had poured major money into his hologram system, and every time Joey played it felt like a new experience.   
Once he reached the bottom, he jumped off, rushing over to hug his best friend. Yugi hugged him back, beaming at winning the duel. Even after all these years, every time he won a tournament without Yami felt like a small miracle. Yugi knew that his title of King of Games really belonged to his other half, and every time he proved he didn't need Yami to win was a reminder of how far he had come.   
Yugi smiled at the camera, arms still wrapped around his best friend. Then Mokuba appeared, with Tristan Duke Ryou and Grandpa close behind.   
“Yugi! You won! Good job man!”   
Tristant said, giving the shorter boy a pat on the shoulder. Duke stood behind him, fiddling with the dice hanging from his ear.   
“Yea, because you've never won a tournament before or anything, what a surprise.”   
He added, winking over at Joey. The blond frowned, still annoyed that Tristan had married Duke of all people even after all these years.   
“How about we go another round dice boy? You may have beaten me once, but I believe since then the win percentage has gone soundly in my favor. Wouldn't you agree Duke.”   
The raven-haired man rolled his eyes, not looking to start a war with his husbands best friend. Mokuba wiggled in between the two, using his 6 foot 5 inch frame to separate them before they could continue their fight.   
“You two were great the crowd loved it! That was awesome!”   
He said, pulling out his cell phone.   
“It's already trending on four different websites, and people are asking when you guys will duel again! I bet once the ratings come in this will be our best ratings ever!”   
Mokuba's phone started going off in his hands, and he looked down, saying a quick good bye as he ran off to answer a call. Joey watched him leave before looking over at his friends.   
“So, what do you guys want to do? I switched with one of my co-workers for the night off, so I'm free to do whatever for the rest of the day.”   
“Well, I'm going back to the shop. I don't want to leave that young man in charge for to long, not sure he can handle all of that yet. Congrats you two.”   
Grandpa smiled at his grandson, before hugging Joey.   
“You two boys make me so proud, I hope you both know that. I'm so lucky that my grandson has such wonderful friends.”   
Grandpa let go of Joey, smiling at the other boys before he left.   
“I still have a few more autographs to sign, maybe we can met up for a late dinner? I should be done in about two hours. Why don't you guys figure out what to do and I'll met you?”   
The rest of the boys nodded, and Yugi ran off back to his assigned area while the rest of the boys started  
to discuss their plans.  
Joey waved at his friends as they all cleared out. He needed to go back to the office to sign some paperwork. The networks wanted to re-air the duel, it had already doubled the ratings of the tournament, and was close to being one of the top duel broadcasts ever.   
Kaiba Corp had worked out a deal that participants in each duel would get a small percentage of any broadcast fees, in lieu of corporate sponsorship's. This helped create interesting duels, which brought bigger ratings and more visibility to individual duelists.   
Joey quickly signed his paperwork, shaking hands with Mokuba before inviting him to join them for dinner. The younger boy agreed, waving at Joey as the blond walked away. Joey pulled his faithful green jacket out of the closet, made sure his cards were secure in the pocket and left, whistling.   
He got about 30 feet before he was slammed violently into the wall, staring into the ice-blue eyes of the one person he did not want to see.   
“You've been avoiding my calls Wheeler.”   
Kaiba said, looking over the blond carefully.   
“Well, sorry. I don't have the energy to deal with you right now Kaiba. You're an idiot if you think one dinner is going to change the years of emotional abuse you put me through.”   
Joey snapped, pushing away Kaiba in irritation.   
“Joey I-”   
“I don't want to hear about it Kaiba. I don't need your sob stories about how you were in love with me since High School and all the fighting we did back then was your weird way to get close to me. Just leave me alone. Please.”   
Joey turned and tried to walk away, only to be stopped by a magazine thrown at his feet. He looked down, only to see it was the local scene paper, the one that had featured an article about the restaurant he was working in. Joey slowly picked it up, looking over at Kaiba in confusion.   
“You're doing quite well for yourself Wheeler. I've been impressed with how much you've grown up the last few years. Now that you've chopped that awful hair of yours, found some better hair dye and started dressing like a human being in stead of some street punk, it's made me... re-evaluate how I've treated you over the years.”   
Joey thumbed the pages of the magazine, avoid the harsh stare of the man in front of him.   
“So what? A few nice words and I'm suppose to believe that you've changed? I've forgiven and forgotten all of the crap that has happen over the years, but I'm not really keen on seeing a 'new Seto Kaiba.'”   
“Who says I'm a new Seto Kaiba? I'm still the same person I was back when we were teenagers. The only difference is that I can control my emotions better. I'm sure we will still be fighting, but it won't be like it was before.”   
Joey stared at Kaiba before shaking his head.   
“I don't care what you think you can do, it's still going to be the same crap from before. I don't have time to deal with you and the fighting anymore. It's been a very peaceful few years without you and I intend to keep it that way thank you very much.”   
Kaiba brushed up against Joey, staring back down at him. “  
If you're not interested, I'm not going to force you. However, maybe you should think about the fact that after we had our date, you responded by showing up at my tournament, dueling the one man who's always had my attention.”   
With that Kaiba backed off, brushing his hand down Joey's cheek before walking away.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Wow, I feel like its been so long since I've written but it's only been a month. Please forgive me if my updates get sporadic for awhile- I work a second job in the summer so I only get a chance to write when the weather is crummy. Anyway, thanks to Gwen for reviewing me also, I appreciate it!! This chapter has a little hanky panky in it, as well as lots of kids... I'm really enjoying writing Ryou and Tea as a couple for some reason

Kaiba marched quickly down the aisle, his white coat billowing out behind him. His 6'3'' frame moved quickly, arms moving and legs never slowing down as he took turns at lighting speed. His security team could barely keep up with the exception of Roland, who had learned how to anticipate his bosses routes through the various buildings that Kaiba Corp owned.   
When he first took the job, people asked why anyone would work for a young man like Kaiba, and Roland would just smiled and shrugged. He knew that people would never understand his commitment to the young man who had taken over a company while still in High School, still green in many of the ways of the world.   
Now, at 24, the brunet had fully grown into his job as CEO of Kaiba Corp. Where there was once doubt in his abilities (Not by Kaiba of course but by people who attempted to take over his company) now there was nothing but admiration and fear. Roland never regretted working for him, and his loyality was rewarded by the still young CEO.   
Kaiba made two more turns, and he was back in his office, slamming the door behind him. A quick check of his phone showed that Mokuba had texted him, informing that the younger boy was going out to dinner with the mutt and his crew. Kaiba texted back an acknowledgment before throwing his phone back on the table.   
“Sir?”   
Roland questioned, appearing in the door frame, staring at his angered boss.   
“It's fine Roland, I just have a lot of work to do. See that you can get me the ratings for Yugi and Wheelers duel as soon as possible, we need to cash in on it as soon as possible.”   
Roland nodded at his boss before jogging off, glad that he wouldn't have to guard the younger man when he was in one of his moods. Kaiba watched him go, frowning at the closed door before turning back to his computer.   
Pulling out his chair, Kaiba settled down to work, pulling up a file to start checking code. He barely made it half an hour before he stopped, annoyed that he was forced to re-read things twenty times before they made sense to him. He leaned back, folding his arms behind his back and taking a rare moment to himself.   
Closing his eyes, he took a minute to refocus his brain before taking a few deep breaths, ridding himself of all thoughts that were not directly related to work. He slowly opened his eyes, staring at the screen for a minute before continuing his typing. Muscle memory took over, and he slipped into a trance, not noticing how quickly time was passing until the knock at the door.   
“Come in.”   
He snapped, annoyed once again. He turned around as Yugi answered, closing the door behind him.   
“I take it this means that you are done signing for the day then Yugi?”   
He questioned the younger man, who nodded. Yugi then settle into a chair, staring at Kaiba intently. Kaiba choose to ignore the other man, not wanting to get into a fight at the moment. Ever since the whole Joey issue Yugi and Mokuba had been watching him closely, waiting for him to have some sort of meltdown.   
If there was one thing that Kaiba was good at, it was waiting for his opponet to make the first move. After a few minutes, that is exactly was Yugi did, sighing as he leaned forward in his chair.   
“Come to dinner with us. It's going to be completely casual, just a few pizzas and drinks. Everyone is going, don't sit alone all night.”   
Kaiba cocked his head, debating with himself over the suggestion.   
“I don't think your friends will want me there Yugi. I've never been their favorite person after all, and I'm sure that Wheeler doesn't want to see me right now.”   
Kaiba reminded him, turning back to the computer to start reading his next report.   
“Since when do you care about what my friends think about you? Maybe this will give you a chance to relax a little. All this stress your under is starting to show.”   
Yugi stood up, reaching out to gently touch the wrinkles on Kaiba's forehead, running his fingers down Kaiba's face to touch the faint gray hairs that had grown in since his last dye job.   
“It's only been 6 years since graduation, and you look like it's been twenty. You locked yourself up in here for years trying to bring back Yami, and that backfired. Please, don't work yourself into an early grave. Mokuba would be devastated if something happened to you, and you know that. Come out with us, make your brother feel better.”   
Yugi stared down at Kaiba, waiting for his answer. Kaiba sighed, turning in his chair to avoid Yugi's gaze, so much like the Pharaoh's now that he was older that it hurt. He nodded, typing something into his computer before shutting it off and staring at his old rival.   
“Fine, but don't expect me to pay for everyone.”   
“Don't worry, Mokuba's already offered up his credit card, apparently he just raised his limit and he gets bonus points at resturants.”   
Yugi informed Kaiba, smiling brightly before bouncing out of the the room with the annoyed CEO close behind him, on the phone and already threatening to shut off his little brother's credit card. 

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Joey sat in Yugi's bedroom, feet propped up and watching tv. The past few days had been rough, with Joey receiving some information recently that was causing him some inner turmoil. He wasn't going to ruin his day off worrying Yugi though, instead he was going to sit and enjoy his program. It was probably the hundredth time he had watched this duel between the two of them in two weeks, and still he could not believe how close he had gotten to actually winning.   
Yugi was next to him, sitting on his stomach and swinging his legs in the air. The two boys had talked over strategy, discussing how the duel could have played out differently until there was nothing left to say about it.   
Now they just watched, enjoying the reactions of the crowds to each turn of the duel. Joey's favorite part was when they showed the VIP box, where Kaiba sat watching them duel, arms crossed and frowning, watching as Joey had Yugi on the ropes.   
Only someone who knew Kaiba as well as Joey would be able to tell the difference between his regular annoyed facial expression, and his 'Yugi's title belongs to me' expression that he tried to hide now that they were older.   
Yugi had commented on it too, giggling like he was still a teen over his boss's annoyance at their duel. Joey had laughed, secretly enjoying the fact that he still could get under the brunet's skin. Now, Kaiba's face flashed again, eyes blinking rapidly several times when Joey had summoned his Red Eyes once again, ready to make the final blow to wipe out Yugi's life points with a direct attack. Then Yugi activated his Mirror force, and Joey lost, causing Kaiba's lip to twitch just once in what seemed like relief.   
The camera panned out, showing the crowd cheering for both Joey and Yugi as the two boys were lowered back down the the ground. Yugi shifted on the bed, sitting back up and looking over at the blond.   
“How about we go do something? I'm getting tired of watching this over and over again.”   
Joey nodded, smiling at his friend. Yugi tilted his head, contemplating what to do.   
“Grandpa needs some help getting ready for inventory... it's a lot of lifting and cleaning and he can't do it alone.”  
He suggested, and Joey nodded. Nothing reminded him of high school more than hanging out in the the Game Shop, doing some work for the chance to get a free booster pack.   
“That sounds like a plan Yug'. I'll met you down there in a sec, just gotta make a pit stop first.”   
Yugi nodded, smiling at Yugi as he entered the bathroom. Once the door was closed, he leaned against it, staring off into the distance a minute before taking out his wallet and pulling out Kaiba's well worn confession note, reading it over yet again before tucking it safely behind his driver's license. Hours later, Joey was covered in sweat, leaning against the wall trying to catch his breath. Yugi's grandpa had worked the two of them all day, barely allowing them to stop for a lunch. They had cleaned the entire shop, climbing on ladders to reach the spots that the shorter older man could not reach.   
Finally they were done, and Yugi's Grandpa had thanked both the boys profusely, before offering Joey a choice of packs.   
Joey winked at the older man, picking out one before leaving the shop with Yugi. Tristan had texted them earlier, inviting them over for dinner with him and Duke. Yugi had taken a quick shower and changed while Joey had finished up, and now they were running over to Joey's apartment so the blond can do the same.   
Once Joey was ready, they left, jumping into Yugi's car and running over to pick up Tea from her dance lesson. The young woman smiled at the boys, tossing her bag into the backseat before jumping in herself.   
“Thanks for picking me up guys. Ryou was barely able to make it out of work to grab the kids before dinner, we would have been way late if he had to come get me.”   
Yugi smiled at Tea in the rear-view mirror before pulling away from the curb.   
“No problem Tea, when are you guys going to get the car fixed anyway?”   
“We're not. It's not worth fixing, so we decided to just buy a new one. Problem is, there's so many to choose from, and so many options to choose from too.”   
Tea sighed, looking out the window.   
“How many options can there be Tea? You guys have 5 kids that leaves out everything but a mini-van right?”   
Joey teased, snickering at his friend. Tea placed a hand on her belly, shaking her head slightly.   
“It'll be 6 before you know it, and this one is going to be the death of me I swear. I'm worn out more than when I carried the triplets.”   
Joey reached back and squeezed Tea's hand, smiling at her. Ryou and Tea had secretly gotten married right after they got back from Egypt, not wanting to tell their friends since the school forbade students even dating. Within two months Tea had gotten pregnant, luckily not showing at their graduation.   
She had told her friends the week after, when they had a giant graduation party for all their family. To say everyone was shocked was an understatement, and it had placed a huge strain on the group's friendship until Serenity had butted in and threaten her big brother for hurting Tea when she was so vulnerable.   
Joey had submitted to her annoyance, and convinced the rest of the gang to forgive and forget. Tea's first pregnancy had produced a boy, Ahmet. He was barely a year old when Tea announced her second pregnancy, another boy, Vaughn . The triplets, Tobiah, Jotham and Knute had come 10 months later, with their friends joking that Tea must had gotten pregnant in the hospital.   
Everyone thought the two of them were done after that, until Tea announced that she was once again pregnant to everyone's collective surprise. Joey had jokingly offered to adopt one of the kids, which was quickly denied by the once again expecting mother. Now Tea was settled back against the seat, exhausted after a long day at work. Joey winked at her before settling back into his own seat, watching as all of the scenery flew by.   
Finally they made it to Tristan and Duke's, pulling up behind Ryou's SUV. Joey noticed his sister's car parked next to it, backseat covered in toys from Joey's niece Amabel. The three-year old was the light of Joey's life, much like her mother had been. Serenity was a single mother, the father of her daughter out of the picture before she was even born.   
That only many the little one more precious to her doting uncle, who wanted to be the best role model possible. The thought of seeing his baby girl made Joey smile as he helped Tea out of the car, allowing the pregnant mother to lean on him for a second. Yugi grabbed her bag, slamming the door and leading the group inside the house. Screeching greeting their ears, and Tea smiled, hearing the sounds of her oldest.   
“I guess Ahmet is playing with Amabel huh?”   
She stated to Joey, who smiled. Even though Amabel was 2 years younger, she had Ahmet wrapped around her finger. The older boy did anything she asked, for just a smile in return. It was cute now, but it would certainly be trouble when they got older.   
Serenity waved at her brother, running over to wrap him in a hug. Joey kissed his sister on the cheek before marching off to find his niece, throwing the young girl up in the air while she giggled.   
“Unca Joey, Ahmet is being mean! He won't let me cut his hair! It's just pretending.”   
The young girl pouted, and Joey hugged her.   
“Oh my love, your Aunt Tea will be furious if he agreed. He just has the good sense to listen to his momma.”   
His niece continued to pout and Joey placed her on the floor, patting the girl on the head before sending her off to play again. Ryou greeted the group, holding Vaughn in his lap.   
“Where are the other three? Did you forget to pick them up from daycare Ryou?”   
The white haired boy laughed, shaking his head.   
“Duke is entertaining them downstairs while Tristan cooks dinner. Vaughn had a rough day at school so I wanted to spend some time with him.”   
Ryou smiled, running his hand through Vaughn's hair, almost identical in color and length as his father's. Tea sank down next to her husband, kissing him on the cheek as she smiled at her son.   
Yugi waved at the young boy before sitting down carefully on Ryou's other side. Vaughn was painfully shy, another trait he had inherited from his father. Yugi's heart went out to the young boy, knowing how hard it was for him when he was shy with no friends. Hopefully that would change for the child, having just turned four there was still plenty of time to reinvent himself.   
Until then, Vaughn was Yugi's secret favorite of all the kids, nurturing the small child helped fill the void there was in himself. Vaughn smiled shyly his uncle before burying himself back into his father's chest. Joey smiled at the group on the couch before excusing himself to go help Tristan in the kitchen.   
An hour later, the meal was all laid out. Joey had grilled the steaks while Tristan finished up the side dishes, and the result was enough food to feed twice the number of people that were there.   
It didn't help that they had to cook for a multitude of picky eaters, so several of the dishes were prepared to one of the children's specifications. Yugi, Joey, Tristan and Duke helped Ryou get his kids settled, letting Tea take a break. Serenity dished up a plate for her daughter, then served Tea and herself.   
Finally, they all dug in, years of friendship allowing for an easy back and forth between the group. After dinner came dessert, a fancy chocolate drizzle cake that had come from one of the bakeries in town. Joey took a few bites and sighed, closing his eyes in bliss.   
“Man, I wish I could bake like this. I love a good cake.”   
The rest of the group agreed, and Tristan offered them all coffee while the kids ran off to play. Ryou gently nudged Vaughn to join them, and the young boy did, looking back at his father once more before allowing his brother's to drag him off.   
The gang started to break up into groups, talking about what had been going on in their individual lives. Serenity caught her brother's eye, motioning him to follow her on to the back deck. The siblings took a moment to enjoy the view and each other's company, and Serenity smiled, looking over at her big brother.   
“I apologize in advance for the mess Amabel made today... she got a little excited when she found out we were all having dinner together.”  
Joey sighed, shaking his head at his little sister. Serenity and Amabel were staying with him for the time being, and it was an adventure everyday with his rambucous niece in his one-bedroom apartment.   
Serenity had taken a job several hours away, hoping that she would eventually be able to move closer to home once she gained some job experience.   
That hadn't panned out, and Serentiy had moved back to Domino, moving in temporarily with Tea and Ryou to help them out while she looked for a job. However, once Tea started to show, Joey had offered his place, knowing that Tea didn't need another kid running around when she was exhausted. Serenity still helped out a few days a week, but it was nice to escape the constant noise.   
Joey took his sister's hand, wrapping her up in a hug. They stayed like that for a minute, enjoying each other's company. Serenity finally pulled away, looking at her brother warily.   
“Joey, I have something to tell you. I'm pregnant.”   
Joey blinked at her, letting the news sink in.   
“O Ren, what happened? Was it somebody at work? Did you know before you came back? What can I do to help you?”   
Joey asked rapidly, placing his hands on Serenity's shoulders. She stepped back, not knowing how he was going to react.   
“No, it's nothing like that.... you see, I knew I was losing my job a few months ago, and I didn't know how to tell you. I was talking to Tristan about looking for a job when he made me an offer.”   
Serenity paused, taking a deep breath while she tried to figure out how to finish her story. Joey waited, cocking his head in confusion. Serenity's hand drifted to her stomach, and Joey suddenly understood.   
Without even thinking, he snapped.   
“What the hell is wrong with you? You just going to pop out babies for the whole freaking country. Come on Serenity, you know better than that.”   
Serenity blinked at her brother not knowing what to say.   
“Joey, calm down please. It's not like that at all. I'm not keeping this baby, I'm just carrying it for them. I wanted to do it, I wanted to help out our friends.”   
“So who's the father? I'm assuming it's either Tristan or Duke, since they wanted the baby.”   
“I'm not sure yet, they both wanted to donate their dna.”   
Serenity answered him, trying to hold back her tears.  
“So what, you let them shove a turkey baster into you and play Russian Roulette with who's going to win?”   
Joey asked her, unconsciously clenching his fists. Serenity didn't answer for a minute, unsure of what to say. She hadn't thought Joey would be so angry, or speak to her like this. While she was hesitating, Joey drew his own conclusions. Before she could stop him, Joey burst back into the house, stopping right in front of Tristan.  
“How dare you. You know the problems Serenity had with Amabel, she almost died giving birth to her! My sister is not a womb for rent you bastard!”   
He screamed at Tristan, not caring that the rest of their friends as well as some of the kids were standing in the same room.   
The brunet opened his mouth to answer his friend, but before he could say anything, Joey cold-cocked him then stalked out the door, running down the street while the rest of the grouph hovered over their unconscious host. 

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2 hours later, Joey was still wandering around Domino, to wound up to go home. It was almost 10 o'clock, and the lights were steadily turning off all around town. Joey looked around, realizing how far he had walked away from his apartment.   
His phone was almost dead, the constant calling from his friends quickly draining his battery. There was just enough to send his sister a message that he was fine and was crashing at a friend's house. He couldn't go home, Serenity would be there waiting for him. He needed someplace to crash, and to charge his battery.   
Not even caring at this point, he headed to the tallest building in the city- Kaiba Corp. 

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Kaiba sat back in his chair, rubbing his eyes tiredly. His phone had been beeping for the past half an hour, Mokuba calling him to demand that he come home that moment. Kaiba had been able to ignore   
him for a bit, but once his office phone started ringing, he knew it was time to call it a night. The last time he had picked it up, promising his brother he'd be home before midnight.   
If he left now, he'd only miss that deadline by about 15 minutes. Kaiba grabbed his coat, shut down his computer and left the building. Nodding good bye to the night security, he walked out into the cool air, allowing it to awaken his senses for the ride home.   
Approaching his care, he stopped short as he realized what he was seeing-a lanky blond haired man leaning up against the car, staring off at the ocean as he waited for someone.   
“Wheeler?”   
Kaiba asked, approaching the blond cautiously. Joey looked up at him, blinking back a few tears that had formed during his waiting time.   
“Jeez Kaiba, what time is it? I've been out here for hours.”   
“It's quarter to twelve... what are you doing here?”   
The CEO asked, looking around for a car or something that explained how the mutt made it out here. Joey laughed, waving a piece of paper in Kaiba's face. He quickly identified it as the note he had written Joey asking him out. He crossed his arms, wondering what Joey was up too but not wanting to let him get the upper hand.   
“I'll ask you again, what are you doing here mutt.”   
Joey stood up straight, marching over to his rival, grabbing his tie and pulling the brunet to him in a hard kiss. Kaiba's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline, and his mind pulled out a hundred scenarios about what was happening.   
Then the kiss was over, and Joey was standing in front of him, watching his reactions warily. For once,   
Kaiba didn't know what to do and he stood there completely flabbergasted at what had just happened. Joey pulled him close again, smiling to himself as the brunet kissed him back. He let Kaiba go, winking at the taller boy.   
“I need a place to crash tonight Kaiba. I thought maybe I'd give you a chance to convince me to date you.”   
Joey ran his hand down the CEO's chest, allowing it to rest on his hip.   
“Ever since we had that dinner party after the tournament, I've been thinking about you. All those fights we used to have, that smug look on your face every time you beat me in a duel. I had nightmares involving you for years. I finally got you out of my head, finally got over what we went through in high school, then you turn up with this note and want to throw me off my game again. That's not going to happen.”   
Joey's finger's floated down to Kaiba's crotch, watching the blue eyes close as he inhaled sharply. Joey gently stroked him, watching Kaiba squirm under his touch. After a moment, the blond stopped, honey eyes watching blue as they slowly opened and refocused. Joey allowed Kaiba a moment to gather himself, then gestured to the car.   
“Take me home with you. Let's get naked and see where things go from there.”   
With that Joey walked around the car to the passenger side door, raising an eyebrow in a silent challenge to the brunet who stood frozen in his spot, blinking.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: The good thing about allergies is not wanting to do much else leaves plenty of time to type. While I was doing that, I tweaked a little bit from the last chapter to add some information... nothing major, just a few sentences to hint at Joey's motives. Thanks to AltonBlack for reviewing the last chapter and talyag and AltonBlack for leaving Kudos as well as my guests!! Enjoy!

 

_If there was one thing Joey had learned, it was how to use people. Growing up as the second-in-command of the biggest gang in the city, he had people for everything. Part of a gang's intimidation was controlling every aspect of a person's life, from the time they got up to the time they went to bed. Sabotage a person's well-being, and they will do pretty much anything for you._

_Even when he met Yugi, and managed to get himself away from the streets, he still remembered the lessons that he had learned while in the gang. His friendship with his group started because he saw the importance of having them as his friends, the things they could do for him, the connections they gave him._

_Tristan's dad, the cop, Tea's mom, the lawyer, Ryou, who had a house that Joey could hide in, and Yugi, who's Yami would protect anyone Yugi called a friend._

_When he was in college, he didn't have enough money to pay for food a lot of the time, so he started to run errands for people._

_Out of college, he used his connections to help land his first job. Once that was secure he was able to relax, enjoying life after the hardships he had been through._

_Several months past before his sister came to him, crying because her worthless boyfriend had convinced her to have a child then left her. Once again he used his connections, this time making sure that man would never be found again._

_All that had cost him was a couple of nights, a small price to pay to make sure his sister was ok._

_Now, another opportunity had arisen for him. The rich, powerful CEO of Kaiba Corp had expressed an interest in him, and Joey knew that he had his trump card, to be played as needed._

 

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

 

Mokuba groaned as his phone started ringing, reaching out to grab it but only managing to push it off the bedside table. He felt around, not wanting to open his eyes but wanting the noise to stop. Pushing the talk button, he managed to answer the call, hoping that it wasn't going to be to urgent.

“Oh hey Yugi what's up.... no I haven't heard from Joey... I'm not sure if big brother is gone yet let me check.”

Mokuba yawned, stretching as he glanced at the clock on the wall. 9:30 on a Friday? It was a good thing Mokuba was a 'mature adult' now, or he would be getting a huge lecture from his brother. He padded down the hall to his brother's room and knocked, waiting to hear his brother's answer.

When there was none, he opened the door cautiously, peering around the room and seeing it was empty. Shrugging, he closed the door and wandered down the hallway while talking to Yugi on the phone, listening as the other boy prattled on.

“He's not in his room, so unless he's drinking his coffee in the kitchen he must be gone. Yes, if I hear from him I'll ask him if he's heard anything... let me have some breakfast and I'll see if I can track his phone for you guys... of course, you guys know you're my friends and I'll help in any way that I can. Bye Yugi.”

Mokuba hung up the phone, waking up enough to bounce down the hall towards the kitchen. He slowed as he approached, hearing voices talking in the dining room. He changed courses, entering the dining room before walking over to hug his older brother.

“Hey little bro.”

He teased, enjoying the fact that Seto was now several inches smaller than him. The brunet arched an eyebrow at his younger brother, still typing away on the laptop.

“Who were you talking too big brother? Is Roland going to make some breakfast or is it a free for all this morning.”

“Roland is prowling the perimeter as is his job. It is not his responsibility to keep you fed.”

Kaiba told him sternly, smiling slightly at his brother. Mokuba pretended to pout, hoping his brother would be convinced to make him something. Kaiba silently pointed towards the door leading towards the kitchen, and Mokuba sighed, knowing he wasn't going to win this battle.

“Do you want a refill Seto?”

Mokuba asked, reaching out for his brothers cup when the brunet nodded. Mokuba turned and walked over to the door, stopping when he opened it and saw a familiar mop of blond hair.

“Joey?”

The duelist waved at the raven-haired boy, turning his attention away from the stove for a minute. Mokuba looked back at the door before looking back at the blond, still confused about what was going on.

“Did you get lost going home last night? Yugi called and said that you were missing and wanted to know if I could find you.”

Joey shrugged, poking at the eggs he was cooking.

“My phone died... I ran into your brother and he offered me a place to stay for the night and a cord to change the phone with. Guess my winning personality helped me out again.”

Mokuba stayed silent, not sure what was going on. He glanced back at the door before looking over at Joey again, shrugging.

“Are you cooking breakfast for all of us Joey? Or are you just feeding big brother to thank him for letting you stay over last night?”

Joey laughed, waving a spatula at his friend.

“Don't worry Mokuba, you're brother told me about your waffle fetish, I'm making those next.”

Mokuba grinned before thanking Joey, leaving the kitchen to go take a quick shower and change. Seto hated when Mokuba ate breakfast in pj's. It was one of the bad traits he had picked up from their adopted father, but Mokuba knew it was fruitless to argue with him.

He walked down the hallway, pausing by the guest bedroom. His curiosity was getting the better of him, and he peeked, in, noting that the room clearly had not had anyone sleeping in it. He then creeped into his brother's room, looking over at the bedside table which had an old-fashioned flip phone laying on top of it.

Mokuba nodded to himself before leaving the room, closing the door and smiling to himself as he walked off to take his shower.

Once he was done, he re-entered the dining room, sitting down on his brother's right side. Seto smiled at his younger brother's appearance, proud that he had cleaned himself up so quickly. Mokuba waited patiently as Joey appeared, placing a big plate in the middle of the table before offering a smaller one to Mokuba and Kaiba. Mokuba grinned at the stack of waffles that were in the middle, drooling at the smell.

“Good morning Kaiba.”

The blond said, nodding at the brunet who snorted a reply back. Mokuba watched both of the boys silently, wondering what had happened between the two. His phone pinged and he looked down, seeing a message from Tea.

“Oh, I forgot to tell Yugi that you were here. Tea just texted me to see if I knew anything yet.”

Joey shrugged, looking down at his plate. The Kaiba brothers watched him for a minute before exchanging a look. Mokuba went to open his mouth, when a look from his brother silenced him. Instead, he quickly texted Tea, assuring her that Joey was at the Kaiba Mansion and he was fine.

bHe then pushed his phone away and stared at his brother and his friend, wondering what they had been up to.

 

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

 

“ _You ok Wheeler?”_

_Kaiba asked, guiding the car down the street while he took several glances at the man next to him. Joey nodded absently, allowing his hand to slide across the CEO's pants to rest in his lap, never taking his eyes off the window, even when Kaiba swerved into the other lane in shock when Joey's hand began to stroke him._

_Once they made it to the mansion, Kaiba turned the car off, and they sat in silence for a minute. Finally Joey spoke, gently stroking the inside of the brunet's thigh._

“ _They told me at work yesterday that the restaurant was going under... to much cost and not enough profit in the business. I'm going to lose my job in a month, and I don't know if I can get another one... I'm the least experienced one in that place, and there aren't many places willing to pay a good wage for someone who's never been a head anything. I spent all day today working with Yug's Grandpa, and trying to smile while I came up with some solution, then I realized I had one.”_

_Joey turned to Kaiba, pausing while he waited for the CEO to focus. Kaiba opened his eyes, starting at the blond as the words slowly sunk in. Joey reached for his wallet, slowly removing a piece of paper from it._

“ _This is the note you gave me that night we had our 'business meeting.' The one where you wrote out your confession for your feelings for me after I turned down the chance to become one of your employees. Do you still have the actual job offer letter?”_

“ _I have a copy of it on my personal computer. I shredded the hard copy a while ago.”_

_Kaiba informed him, crossing his arms and staring at the blond._

“ _Well, let's go get a hard copy, I want to read it over before I sign.”_

_Kaiba sighed to himself, realization dawning on him that this night was not going to go as he planned._

 

_@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@_

 

Joey waited until Mokuba had safely left the room before turning his attention to the brunet across from him. Kaiba was furiously typing on his laptop in a vain attempt to not look at the blond right across from him.

Joey sighed, wondering how to get the other man's attention. He decided to go for broke. He got up, walked around the table, yanked Kaiba's chair back, and straddled him, shoving his tongue down the CEO's throat before he could protest. Kaiba's eyes closed, enjoying the feeling of the blond's lips pressed up against his.

Joey's hands slid down Kaiba's chest, pushing his tie aside to start unbuttoning his shirt. The brunet forced himself to open his eyes, looking at the blond whose hands were dangerously close to his belt buckle.

“Joey-” he said thickly, clearing his throat so his voice would come out normally “- I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I really have to go to work.”

Joey didn't listen, instead tracing the black KC buckle with both hands before sliding them down to squeeze Kaiba's ass. When the CEO jumped, Joey kissed him, enjoying tormenting his former tormentor.

“Have a great day at work. Remember, try not to walk funny, it'll make people look at you.”

Joey gave Kaiba one last pat before sliding off his lap and walking out of the dining room, leaving Kaiba staring as his left.

 

_@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@_

 

_Joey read over the contract that had been placed in front of him, chewing on his bottom lip while he thought._

“ _Is this the same contract Yugi signed when he started working for you?”_

_Joey asked, looking up at the brunet. Kaiba shook his head, mentally sighing at the time._

“ _Your perks are not as good as his were. Yugi brings a lot more prestige with his presence, and his pay reflects that. However, there are several reviews that will happen during your first few months, and if there is enough reasons, you will have a pay increase. Everything else, you'll earn the same way Yugi does. You get vacation pay based on how many hours you work a week, and the best health plan we can get.”_

_Joey nodded, re-reading another section. Satisfied, he tucked the contract into his jacket, smiling at Kaiba._

“ _I can't start until I give notice... they've done a lot for me and I don't want to leave them in the lurch. Plus, I'm still under contract because they helped pay for some of my schooling.”_

_Kaiba nodded, accepting Joey's statement._

“ _Yugi will be training you so perhaps you can work out a schedule with him. Perhaps you two could have another duel and we will announce your partnership then... stir up some interest in our new projects.”_

_Kaiba mused, leaning back to ponder his suggestions. Joey yawned, looking over at the clock._

“ _It's after one, I'm exhausted and I still have to deal with my sister tomorrow morning.”_

_Joey yawned again before grabbing Kaiba by the tie and kissing him, burying his free hand in the brunet's hair. Kaiba just stood there, not sure how to deal with the bi-polar acting blond. Joey smiled at him, taking the other man's hand._

“ _Now that we've done the business part, let's do the fun part.”_

_Kaiba pulled away slightly, not wanted to get trapped._

“ _I don't pay for sex Wheeler.”_

_He hissed, backing away even more. Joey shook his head, smiling slightly._

“ _I'm not asking for anything moneybags. You offered me the job because you thought I'd be the best fit for it correct? Because of my relationship with Yugi, not mine with you. You're attracted to me for some reason, and just as long as you don't start with the names you're not half bad. I just figured it's better to do it now than to get caught screwing each other in your office later on.”_

_Joey crossed his arms, eyebrow arched as he waited for Kaiba to answer. Kaiba fought with himself for a moment before pulling out another piece of paper and handing it to Joey._

“ _A non-disclosure agreement? You're worried I'm going to go to the press with this?”_

_Joey asked, looking the paper over in amusement._

“ _I'm the CEO of a huge corporation, I have to be worried about it. The only exception to this is Yugi, and that's only because he might have to cover for us once in a while. Got it?”_

_Joey nodded, looking down at the paper in thought. He held out his hand for a pen, which Kaiba provided. Joey quickly signed, placing the paper in Kaiba's outstretched hand._

“ _Happy now?”_

_Kaiba nodded, carefully signing and filing it in his briefcase._

“ _Good, cause after all this crap, you are definitely going to be the bottom.”_

_Joey said, crossing his arms as he waited for Kaiba to show him to the bathroom_

 


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Just a heads up, next chapter will be the last one. Not that I'm done with this story, but only this part. Thanks to KittyCaesar and talyag for reviewing and KittyCaesar, Lihn, Alandra and Allastra for leaving kudos

Joey opened his eyes slowly, rolling over to check the time on his phone. Today was his last day at the resturant, and all he was really doing was helping with a final inventory and cleaning before the auction over the weekend. He had originally planned on being out several weeks ago, but his boss had reminded him of his contract when several of his peers had stopped showing up.   
Luckily, Kaiba had been flexible with Joey's start date, his reasoning that it would give him enough time to come up with an announcement for their next project.   
Speaking of which... Joey looked over his shoulder to see the brunet was gone. The sound of water running confirmed where the older man was and Joey settled back down in bed, crossing his arms behind his head and enjoying the luxiourious feel of expensive sheets. This would be one of his last times here, and he intended to enjoy it.   
Starting Monday he would be an employee of Kaiba Corp, and that meant his whatever it was with Kaiba would be ending. That meant going back to his real life, an empty apartment that his sister had vacated shortly after their fight.   
Once Joey had seen that all of her stuff was gone, he had called her, intending to smooth things over. That had changed when Tristan answered the phone, blustering and threatening the blond. The two friends had exchanged words, quick and threatening until Tristan had informed Joey that Serenity would be staying with him and Duke and would contact him when she was ready.   
The phone clicked off in his ear, and Joey sat there a minute, not knowing what to do. Not wanting to stay by himself he had shown back up at the mansion, convincing Kaiba to let him occupy the other side of the bed for a few weeks.   
The brunet had given in with little fight, which Joey was glad about. They quickly fell into a habit, unknown to anyone but Kaiba's little brother. Mokuba had left for college after the first 2 weeks, not commenting on the blond who had quickly taken over the mansion. Or the fact his brother would be home by the time Joey got out of work, his face twitching into an almost smile once Joey would plop down next to him on the couch.   
The three would watch the news together, Joey often falling asleep curled around the taller man. Kaiba would sit there, gently rubbing the blond's back while talking to his brother. Then they would go to bed, Kaiba carrying his sleeping temporary lover.   
Mokuba would watch them disappear into his brother's bedroom, questions still on the tip of his tongue but choosing not to ask them, lest he ruin whatever happiness his brother had found even if it was a little weird.   
The night he left he had caught Joey in the hallway and quietly expressed his concerns which were quickly brushed off by the blond. The two boys had parted in annoyance, both thinking the other was crossing the line. By an unspoken agreement they did not mention their talk to Kaiba, who was completely oblivious that their last dinner together was almost completely silent.   
Mokuba had left after dinner, claiming he wanted to beat traffic back. Joey watched him before convincing Kaiba to go to bed early. The next week flew by, and before they knew it, it was time for their last weekend together.   
For now though... Joey snuggled back under the sheets and closed his eyes. He might as well get a few more minutes in before Kaiba got out of the shower.   
Soon enough, Joey felt the bed dipped and he peaked out to see Kaiba staring at him.   
“Morning.”   
“Morning Kaib' aren't you going to be late for work?”   
Joey asked, looking over at the desk clock. Kaiba nodded before standing, his long white coat covering him like a suit of armor.   
“I just wanted to see what your plans are for this weekend. Will you be coming back here tonight or not?”   
Joey cocked his head at the question, thinking for a minute.   
“I was planning on staying here until Sunday afternoon. I have to do some grocery shopping before work on Monday, unless that's going to be a problem with you?”   
“That will be fine. I'll see you later than, enjoy your last day of work.”   
Kaiba swiftly walked out of the room, coat billowing behind him as he left. Joey sighed and picked up his phone, checking his email and messages before getting up to great the day himself.   
Hours later and Joey was ready to leave. The restaurant was almost cleaned out, and he was getting tired of lugging boxes of cooking oil and random spices all over the place. On the other hand, the kitchen looked spotless, the kind of clean one could only achieve by getting rid of everything. The boss had nodded his approval, shaking Joey's hand and wishing him the best of luck.   
Ten more minutes and work would be done, and Joey would be officially unemployed for the first time since he was 12 and had joined a gang to survive. He plopped down on a barstool and stared into space, wondering what he was going to do for the rest of the day when a presence made itself known to him.   
“Joey?”   
“Serenity? What are you doing here?”   
“I heard you guys were closing so I decided to come down and talk to you. You're never home 

 

anymore where have you been?”   
Joey didn't know how to answer that, instead choosing to look at his little sister closely. If he didn't know better, he would have never even known that she was pregnant. Without thinking his hand shot out and gently touched her belly, feeling for something to happen. Serenity giggled, shaking her head at her brother.   
“It's going to be a few more weeks before the kicking starts Joey. I do have something for you though. I hope it helps.”   
Serenity reached into her purse and handed Joey an ultrasound picture. Joey stared at it in amazement, feeling the same outpouring of affection that he had had with his niece. That was until he saw the writing up top.   
“Ren? How come there is three names listed up at the top?”   
He pointed at the wording, which clearly had Serenity, Tristan and Duke's names listed. Serenity sighed before hugging her brother and whispering in his ear.   
“I love you big brother. I love that you're always there for me and you are amazing person but this is my life. I have chosen to carry this baby for our friends and nothing you say is going to change it. Learn to deal.”   
She pulled back after that, still smiling. Joey stroke her sisters face, kissing her on the cheek.   
“You win Ren. I'm just an idiot who needs to understand that you've grown up and can handle yourself just fine. I don't even know why you are talking to me honestly.”   
“Tristan's been an insufferable jerk since you two got into a fight, if you don't apologize and make things right with him I might just beat him senseless.”  
Serenity admitted sheepishly.   
“Plus, I heard that you're starting at Kaiba Corp on Monday, I wouldn't want to miss those fireworks. Maybe we should take bets on how long it'll be before you and Kaiba knock each other out.”   
Joey laughed, standing up and stretching.   
“I'll be done in a few, how about you waddle down the street and meet me at Burger World? Maybe bring my niece so I can stuff her full of french fries?” Serenity shook her head at Joey, sighing. “First of all, she's at daycare right now. Second, I told you she can't eat that stuff. Third, I Don't WADDLE!” “Give it time sis, give it time.”   
Joey waved at her before hurrying of to finish his last task before the place closed for good.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Lunch had been slightly tense, once the siblings had caught up on the last few weeks there was little to talk about. Joey of course didn't mention a word about where he had been staying, which only helped to aggrevate the situation.   
Once the two parted, Joey had jumped in his car for a ride, ending up at the shop that Tristan worked at. He had stayed outside for a bit before summoning up his courage and going in. The yelling had lasted for a good 15 minutes, Tristan obviously had been warned by Serenity that Joey might be showing up. Luckily, there were no customers in the shop, although Tristan had to stop his ranting several times to pick up the phone and answer inquiries.   
By the third interruption, he had stopped yelling, unsure of what else to say. Joey took that opportunity to express his feelings, which started Tristan yelling again. The two boys ended up on the floor, throwing punches and yelling in each others faces.   
Then it stopped, Tristan looking down at Joey who was glaring at him covered in grease and dirt on the floor. He quickly got up, pulling up the blond and allowing him a second to recup. Tristan's split lip stung, but not as badly as Joey's nose which was dripping blood on the floor.   
The sight made the brunet cringe, after all the fights the two had had none of them ended this bad. He handed Joey a stained but clean towel and offered the blond a place to sit. He then went back to work, typing up the last few orders before the shop closed for the night.   
Joey watched him warily, not wanting to start yet another fight between them. Unable to stand the silence, Joey lowered his towel, paying no mind to the blood dripping on his shirt.   
“Tris?”   
The brunet froze, allowing Joey the chance to finish. All the years of friendship hung between them, and Joey broke first, wrapping his buddy in a fierce hug. Tristan responded, sighing gently in relief that they were going to be ok. 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Joey appeared at the mansion at almost 7, whistling to himself. Kaiba had messaged him that he would be home by 8 with take out, which gave Joey plenty of time to clean himself up some more. He had spent the past two hours hashing out everything with Tristan, their friendship on the fragile road to recovery.   
The only person left was Duke, and that would be taken care of on Sunday during the dinner that Tristan had invited him too. Speaking of which... there was a strong smell coming from the dining room. He pushed open the door, wincing as he saw Kaiba sitting at the table, arms folded as he waited, one eyebrow raised as he took in Joey's appearance.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Thanks to Kittycaesar for reviewing the last chapter.. I certainly did not want to scare you like that... and too all of those who have read this story, thank you.

 

Joey tried to grin at the man in front of him, but it was difficult. The look in those sapphire colored eyes reminded him so much of the young CEO that he had fought beside what seemed like a life time ago... who arrogantly stated that the only person worth his time was Yugi Moto, not Joey Wheeler. When he was called a mutt, a low life, a second rate, a nothing.

Joey's hands clenched, realizing that he was more than ready to finish one of those fights, to prove that he wasn't all those awful things that had been said about him over the years. To defend his honor, his name to the brunet who left him emotionally scarred, ruined, _worthless._

Then Kaiba was in front of him, gently touching the scratch on his cheek, running his hands down Joey's body to check for more injuries, the cold sapphire melting into baby blue as Kaiba realized that Joey was fine. 

“What happened?” 

“I got into a little spat with Tris and caught the wrong end of his fist is all. Don't worry, I've had worse just a few bumps and bruises is all. I'll be fine.” 

Kaiba made a noise in the back of his throat, tightening his grip for just a second before letting go of Joey altogether. 

“So what's going on in here? Whatever it is it smells delicious.” 

Kaiba swept his arm out, indicating that Joey should sit at one of the chairs. 

“I thought since your place was shutting down, you might like a dinner that you don't have to cook. I bought some Chinese, and I thought that we could watch a movie or two before bed.” 

Joey blinked at Kaiba a few times, wondering who the person in front of him was and where the hell Kaiba had gone too. His nose burned, and he knew without touching it that there was blood slowly dripping out of it. He thought fast, not wanted Kaiba to see and start an argument. 

“That sounds like a plan, but can you get me some aspirin I've got a massive headache. Kaiba nodded, turning briskly on his heel while Joey sank into a chair, happy to be able to rest for a few seconds.

 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

Mokuba stared at the front door, not knowing what to do. His class had ended early, and usually he would take the opportunity to jump into his car and rush home to see his brother. This time, he had hesitated, not packing a bag early and filling up his tank the night before. 

He had even turned up at the Game Shop, talking with Yugi and his Grandfather while they worked at the shop. The Moto's had even allowed him to help a few people out, Grandpa joking that he was glad Mokuba didn't need to be paid commission. 

Finally, they had closed up, offering Mokuba dinner which he declined. Another hour of driving around, and he showed up at the mansion, noting that no one was home yet. He entered the house, bringing his bag up the stairs and dumping it into his room. 

Wandering back downstairs, he debated texting his brother, but decided against it. Instead, he settled down on the couch and opened his laptop, wanting to finish his paper up early. The minutes flew by, and Mokuba was still typing when he was interrupted by someone clearing his throat. 

“Big brother!” 

Mokuba got off the couch and hugged Seto, who was smiling gently at him. 

“I thought you were coming home tomorrow Mokuba. Did my secretary write down the wrong date again?” 

Kaiba asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“No Seto, my class was canceled today because the teacher was in an accident so I thought I'd come in a little bit earlier.” 

“Hm. You'd think with all the money we pay in tuition that place would be able to afford a sub.” 

Mokuba shot his brother a look, not wanting him to get in one of his moods. 

“Where's Joey?” 

He asked, hoping to change the topic. 

“He will be back soon, I told him I wasn't going to be back until closer to 8 but I managed to get out earlier than expected.” 

Mokuba raised his own eyebrows at that, not remembering a time when his brother would come home early for anything that didn't involve Mokuba himself. His mind raced, and finally Mokuba realized that he needed the answer to his question from Kaiba. 

“Seto? Can we talk?” 

He asked, plopping back down on the couch and looking up at the brunet. Kaiba settled next to him, arranging his coat neatly behind him. 

“What is it Mokuba?” 

“I'm worried about you big brother. This thing you have with Joey isn't healthy for you. I mean, Yugi and I knew that you liked him by the him that you said, but it seems pretty clear that he dose not feel the same way about you.” 

Kaiba's eyes narrowed just a tad, and Mokuba pulled back a little, not wanting to get into a fight with Seto in the middle of the living room. 

“I mean, first, you let him manipulate you into giving him that job. Then he sleeps with you and leaves, acting like its a one time deal. He shows up here again and pushes his way in, knowing that you have feelings for him and uses them for a bed and meal. Now he's leaving, swearing that this time he's not coming back this time and you're letting him go? You've missed meetings, you're leaving work early, you're acting like a complete push-over which is not my big brother at all-” 

Kaiba's eyes narrowed, not willing to accept criticism from his brother, no matter how much he loved him. 

“Why don't you just go cool off for a bit Mokuba, then you are welcome to join us for dinner, I'm ordering Chinese.” 

With that Kaiba walked off, a glimpse of sapphire in his eyes to let Mokuba know the subject was closed.

Joey finished changing in the bathroom, checking to make sure that there was no lingering traces of blood in his long blond hair. Kaiba had told him to freshen up before dinner, wanting to give the blond a chance to relax for a minute. Joey grinned at his reflection, giving himself a thumbs up. 

Of course, he was going to have two black eyes tomorrow, his right one already turning a weird shade of green and the left puffy and swollen. 

He sighed, gathering up his laundry and leaving the room, dumping the clothes down the chute before retracing his steps to the dining room. 

He could feel the temperature drop as he walked towards the door, and knew that Mokuba was home. Sure enough as he entered the Kaiba brothers were both sitting at the table, plates full as they waited for their guest to come in. 

“Sorry guys. You didn't have to wait for me.” 

He said sheepishly, settling at his own place at the left side of Seto and across from Mokuba. The VP didn't make eye contact, instead choosing to stare at his own plate. Joey piled on his own food, smiling briefly over at Kaiba and waiting for him to start eating. 

Finally, Kaiba started eating, not making eye contact with either of the boys next to him. Once dinner was over, Kaiba picked up the plates, shooting a look at his brother as he walked into the kitchen. Joey sealed up the leftovers, stacking them so he could carry a bunch at once. 

Mokuba followed with the rest, placing them on the counter and silently handing them to Joey so he could stack the fridge. 

“You joining us for a movie Mokuba? I thought we could do a Jurassic Park marathon before the new one comes out!” 

Joey asked, smiling as he tried to ease some of the tension in the room. Mokuba thought about it for a minute, nodding his head in agreement. 

Joey winked at him, wrapping an arm around the younger boys shoulders and leading him out of the room, Kaiba watching them go apprehensively. Joey kept pushing Mokuba until they were in the game room, then he turned and locked the door. 

“Today is my hashing out day with my friends apparently. I talked to Serenity and Tristan already, and now I'm talking to you. I don't want to fight about this anymore Mokuba. You're my friend, and I care about you. You know I'd do anything for you, and I care about you like you're my little brother. 

However, what is going on with your brother and me is none of your concern. He's agreed to the way our relationship is, and I've never lied to him about how I feel about him or us. You need to accept that things are the way they are, and leave it be. Understand?” 

Joey stared right at Mokuba, smiling a little at the younger man. Mokuba crossed his arms, not willing to give Joey an inch. He might not have his older brother's intimidation looks down, but his height and built were enough to scare those who didn't know him well enough. Joey, while almost 6 inches smaller, didn't back an inch. 

“Mokuba, you have to understand, your brother- he doesn't really want me. I'm not sure what is going on in that brain of his, but this is just some sort of game. He'll be fine, and so will I once this is over, you'll see.” 

Joey reached up, managing to ruffle some of Mokuba's hair just like he used to do. 

“Now how about we get this movie set up? I'm thinking we need a snack run too!” 

Mokuba couldn't help but laugh at the blond's excitement, so unchanged from years past. The two settled down on the couch, starting the movie and taking turns making commentary on their favorite scenes. Kaiba came in a bit later, carrying drinks and snacks which he placed on the table before sliding on the couch next to Joey, leaning in to fully enjoy the smell of the blond one more time as the shorter boy curled into him. 

 

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

_Several month's ago_

 

_Yugi smiled as he signed his contract with Kaiba, excited that he would be working so closely with the man who had been his rival for so long. Kaiba had offered him a job helping to come up with new ideas for the game to convince a whole new generation to start playing. What would be a better way than to have the King of Games himself market for Kaiba Corp?_

_Yugi was thrilled, his friendship with the Kaiba brothers had helped him get over losing his soul mate, and now it was giving him a great opportunity. Kaiba was typing something on his computer, muttering to himself._

“ _Now, the only thing we need to do is come up with a script when asked about your dueling history. You have 4 known loses. One to me, Pegasus, Rebecca, and Raphael. Pegasus is easy, it was a timed duel and you were still new to the game. Your loss to me can be chalked up to wanting to help me get back my brother, and Rebecca's is being nice to a younger player. Raphael's is kinda tricky, but he's already said he's willing to chalk it up too you saving him from that awful cult. Are we in agreement on this?”_

_Yugi nodded, biting his lip as he thought back. Kaiba finished typing, looking up as he watched Yugi fidget._

“ _Is there something I'm missing Yugi?”_

_He asked coldly, watching the younger boy continue to squirm._

“ _Well, I don't know if this is that important, but this list isn't 100 percent correct. There was a duel with Joey-”_

_Kaiba held up a hand, rolling his eyes at the wasted time._

“ _That duel on the pier was a tie with weird circumstances. Anyone knows you gave him the chance to win to 'save' him, just like the rest of your loses.”_

_Yugi shook his head, smiling at his new boss._

“ _That is not what I meant Kaiba. I'm surprised that you never figured it out... after Battle City, Joey dueled with me and the Pharaoh and he won his red eyes back.”_

_Kaiba snorted, not believing what Yugi was saying._

“ _Yes, I'm sure that the Pharaoh gave it all in a meaningless duel against his friend. I'm not worried about that duel either Yugi.”_

“ _Kaiba, do you really think that Joey would have accepted that card back if he thought that we had given him that duel? You know how prideful he is, especially back then. It was a fair duel, and he won without any help.”_

_The room was dead quiet for a moment, Kaiba staring at Yugi open mouthed. Coming to his senses, Kaiba wished Yugi a good night, managing to barely control his rage as his new employee left the room. Kaiba waited until the door shut behind him, springing out of his chair and staring out of the window for a minute._

_He walked back to his computer, looking down at the screen before typing in a name. A brief history came up, along with a picture of said blond duelist, as well as a list of his official duel history. Kaiba stared at the list, not realizing how many tournaments Joey had won over the years._

_He stared at the picture of the young man, noticing how much he had grown up in the time since they had left Egypt. He reached up, lightly touching the outline of the mutt's profile before shutting down the computer, ignoring the fluttering in his stomach._

 

 

A/N: And that's it... an ambiquious ending cause well, you gotta love those cliff hangers

 

 


End file.
